From Hell

From Hell is a 2001 film based on the graphic novel of the same name by Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell. It was directed by the Hughes Brothers, and first released on October 19, 2001.

Reception

The film had mixed reviews from critics. Ebert and Roeper gave the film a "two-thumbs up" (Roger Ebert alone gave it 3 out of 4 stars). E! Online stated it is "two hours of gory murders, non-sequitur scenes, and an undeveloped romance" and gave the film a C-. The New York Post called it a "gripping and stylish thriller".

Differences from comic

• In the film Abberline is a young opium addicted psychic. In the book, and historically, Abberline is a gruff middle aged married detective with a strong sense of intuition. Towards the end of the book he is assisted by a professed psychic who, despite being fraudulent, eventually leads them to the killer.

• In the film, Mary Kelly and Abberline have extensive dealings and an actual relationship. In the book their relationship is far smaller in scale, with the two being portrayed as having a coincidental friendship under false pretenses (Abberline claiming to be a saddle-maker and Kelly going by the name of "Emma"), completely unrelated to their respective involvements with the Ripper case, and with neither ever learning the truth about the other.

• The film condenses or ignores much of the book's discussion of the supernatural and occult.

• The book makes no mystery of Jack's identity, concentrating instead on the psychology of the character and of the era, while the film is a whodunit mystery.